Monday, October 14, 2013

Happy Columbus Day, everyone! This holiday has always held a special spot in my heart because in years past my birthday often fell on this day. This year though my birthday was actually on a Tuesday, October 8th, to be exact. We were fortunate to celebrate with Jeff's parents with a big fat red velvet cake lovingly baked by Momeaux, of course.

Milt's a blur reaching for that cake...!

It's hard to believe that I am actually 28-years-old now. This was actually the first birthday where I woke up thinking, Ugh, I am two years away from 30... My, my how time does fly; I've got to enjoy every minute!

Thursday, October 10, 2013

On Saturday evening, Jeff and his parents, along with extended family, watched Notre Dame play Arizona in Dallas. I, however, did not join but instead stayed home to watch the boys -- Milton and Dusty, Pop and Momeaux's nine-year-old bichon frise. He and Milt are not exactly the best of friends, but Milt does show Dusty some amount of respect, usually, because Dusty is his uncle, after all...

Well, while babysitting, I decided that the boys could use a good long walk to release some energy before night set in. They were both more than willing to join me, so we set off on Milt and my usual route of three miles. On the walk, Milt and Dusty were acting like their usual selves, sniffing here and there, marking street signs, tugging on me etc. Things were going splendidly well until we reached the turn around point, and a torrent of rain began to fall from the sky. Actually, at first it was a light drizzle, but then it quickly picked up to a full-on downpour.

As you can image, Milt Dog was in his glory -- tilting his head skyward to catch rain in his mouth, prancing about, and looking up at me in sheer delight. Dusty, on the other hand, lost the majority of pep in his step, and his little tail went from full-mast to half-mast very quickly. Basically, Milt thought I was the best momma ever to disregard our safety and take them for a walk in a massive shower complete with thunder and lightning. Dusty, I'm certain, had a different sentiment equating me to a mean, old witch, and he was all prepared to tattle on me to Momeaux, his real mom, when she arrived home later that evening. Our goldendoodle did not help the situation at all because with rain comes fiestiness, and he thought this was the opportune time to run across leashes trying to engage Uncle Dusty in some play.

Upon return from our walk, all three of us were a sopping wet mess.

Poor little Dusty

Once we were no longer in the rain, Milt's joie de vivre faded a little bit.

I was quite drenched too...

Once back in our warm, cozy home, I thought we would all cuddle up and relax for the remainder of the evening, but, sadly no, all thanks to our goldendoodle. A big problem arose when Dusty Dog set up camp on Milt Dog's bed immediately upon return. All day long, prior to his, Dusty had laid on Milton's bed, and not once did Milton bat an eye. Tonight, quite possibly due to his wet condition, Milton had enough of Dusty's selfish tendencies! Milt preceded to bark at Dusty from the doorway of the foyer, again and again and again. He was relentless. At first I thought that our boy simply wanted Dusty to get up and play, so I let it persist. When Dusty did jump up to bark at Milt and shoo him away, much spirited chasing around our coffee table ensued and a bit of nipping and snarling as well. Subsequently, Milton received a timeout in the bathroom with all the lights off.

A stand-off

After the first time-out, Milton went back at it, and I was forced, following another uprising from Dusty, to give Milton a second time out. Returning from this one and still continuing to bark, I knew their was a real reason for Milt's anger.

Both boys keeping their distance.

I finally figured out that Milton was not soliciting Dusty in some rowdy, wet play, but rather, he truly wanted his bed back, in a bad way, because he is the rightful owner, especially when he is soaking cold. Milton was being more than a little rude to his guest, but he did have a valid point. How was I to rectify this nasty situation? Well, Momma Dog hauled Milt's back door guard dog bed all the way up front to appease both parties.

Note how Milton is giving Dusty the cold shoulder.

Now they're in a face-off.

Despite my best intentions, both boys were still displeased as they later moved on to higher, dryer ground.

Much better

Comfy, cozy

Needless to say, Milton was quite happy to wave goodbye to Dusty on Sunday afternoon. Those two might be related, but they really can only handle one another in very small doses united by a common love of Momeaux...!

Monday, October 7, 2013

Pop and Momeaux visited us this past weekend, but their visit prior to that (You can tell how far behind I am with my posting!), they arrived with an extra-special gift.

Milt, despite sitting on Momeaux's lap, is apparently sulking in this photo.

Every time I think of the South, I envision magnolia blossoms, fried chicken, and yes, porch swings. Now, I can say we are the proud owners of one. Pop knew I had been wanting a swing since we bought this house, so he crafted it as a grand surprise for us! These two consistently use their many talents, whether it be sewing, electrical wiring, baking, or carpentry to enrich our lives. We are quite spoiled! Jeff and I have spent many a happy time swinging back and forth on this beautiful piece of craftsmanship. Milt, however, is always a little apprehensive about playing fetch with us sitting on it because, inevitably, he gets bumped once or twice in mid-swing. Regardless, this swing is the perfect addition to our sweet Southern home; we couldn't be happier!

Friday, October 4, 2013

If you are a frequent reader of my blog, you probably have been wondering, Where the heck is Goldilocks? Well, I'll tell you where. She has been lesson planning, grading, and, quite frankly, getting much too much little sleep since school kicked back in for the year. Quite sadly, there never seems to be a free moment to do anything anymore. Poor Milt Dog has been missing his momma, but he has been back in daycare, which, you know, he loves!

Recently while I was at school, holed up in my room working during my lunch hour, I checked my Gmail on my phone to see if there was anything necessary to be addressed. I saw that I had received a Facebook alert that two photos had been posted of Milton at daycare. You cannot believe how much Jeff and I love receiving these little snapshots of our boy in his "other life" that we know hardly anything about. As I rushed to click over there, I was excited to see these two shots, but I was dismayed to read the captions.

Milton wants to play.

Maybe Judd will play with Milt...??

To a dog mom looking at these photos, while reading these captions, it appears that my goldendoodle, essentially, has no one to play with on the playground. He has his ball in hand, or in this case mouth, and not a dog wants to jump in and join his game. This particular dog, Judd, clearly seems pestered and disinterested as he gives Milt Dog the cold shoulder and walks away. Believe me, when I saw this, I wanted to hop in my car right then and there, zoom all the way downtown, and scoop up my little boy to carry him home and be his best pal. I realize this is somewhat illogical, but my heart went out to my doodle.

I know dogs aren't kids and kids aren't dogs, but sometimes the similarities are simply overwhelming.

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About Me

Hello readers!
My name is Heidi, and my husband, Jeff, and I are the proud new owners of a goldendoodle puppy, Milton. On this blog, I will chronicle the first memorable year of life with puppy - potty training, feeding habits, sleeping schedules, and welcoming him into our home. I want readers with dogs, particularly goldendoodles, to identify with our trials and victories. For those without dogs, this is a first hand account of what the experience is truly like. Happy reading!